Automatically-operated slot cover



S. W. HUFF i AUTOMATICALLY PERATED SLOT COVER Filed Mar. 29, 1922 y l w i y Y l l f y l Patented Apr. 3, 1923..

SLAUGHTER w. HUFF, or NEW YORK, ity'.

AUTOMATICALLY-OPERATD SLOT COVER.

Application filed Marcil 29, 1922. serial 1ro. 547,695.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, SLAUGHTER W. Herr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough lof Manhattan, city, county, 5 and State of New York, have invented certain -new and usefulImprovements in Aut`omatically-Operated Slot Covers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to slot covers for the slots of systems such as for example railway systems using cable, third rail or underground supply conductors. Electric street railways with underground supply conductors may serve as an example for description.

In such systems, a plough carried by the car extends from a point on the car through a slot at the street-'level into ya passage below the street level where there are mounted conductors withwhich contacts on the lower portion of the plough bear. It is apparent that the slot must be adapted to permit the movement of the plough throughout the length of the track, and'it is customary to leave the slot open. Thisl affords opportunity for large quantities of dirt to enter the passage in which the conductors are situated, since the slot opening is at the street level.

The object of my invention is to provide a slot cover which will be automatically opened by the plough as the car passes alongl the track, and will bev automatically closed after the car passes, so as to prevent the greater portion of extraneousmaterial from entering the passageway under the street.

I accomplish this object by forming the slot cover preferably in two parts extending longitudinally alongthe slot and separableon the center line of the slot. A portion of the under side of each part of the slot cover is bevelledv and contacts with the edge of the slot. Normally, the slot cover rests so that the two parts are in Contact with each other and with the edges of the slot. The action of the plough in passing along is to push the two halves of the slot cover along their bevelled surfaces, which lboth raises them and moves them apart to accommodate the plough. Gravity then acts to restore the slot cover to its normal position as soon as.

the plough has passed along.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, it will be describedl in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure lisa vertical cross-section through a street railway trac/k equipped withl underground supply conductors and one form of my slot cover.

Figure y2 is an enlarged sectional view View 5fE a, modifie the slot street railway track. Z-shaped :members 3,3 y are bolted to cross member l bolts 4 and `the space between the upper surfaces Vof members 3 forms the slot. A passage 5 formed in a body of concrete 6 extendscontinuously along the length, of the track. Conductorsv 7 -7 are mounted the passage 5 and serve to carry lche current for roperat-v ing'the cars. Stay-bolts 8, 8 extend from the rails 2, 2 to the members 3. 3, and hold members 3, 3 in the proper position. yThe tops of rails 2, 2 and members 3, 3. are-fli1sh with the street surface. Two halves. 9, 9 constitute-the slot cover.

In the enlarged view, F igureQ,` vthe two halves 9, 9 of the slot cover are shown in detail. Each half is composed vof an angle bar, with one leg extending downwardly into. the slot and the other leg extendingoutwardly from the center of the slot so that the, two bars Contact back to back. A bevelled sur-l face 1 0. atapproximately 450 to the vertical"y is provided in the angle formedK4 by the two legs ofthe bars 9. In their normal position, the halves 9,9 are as shown in full lin-es,iwith' the lower sides of the outwardly extending legs restingk on the rupper surfaces of the members 3, 3. and the downwardly extending legs back to back.. The dotted' lines illustrate the positions of the twov parts. 9, 9 of the slot cover when thecover vis open tapermit the passage of the contact shoe. It will be observed that each half has moved outwardly and upwardly, the bevelled surface 10 sliding on the edge of the member 3.

y for some distance.

When the plough. has passed any particular point, gravity acts to cause the halves 9, 9 of the cover to slide inwardly and downwardly to close the slot, until the outwardly extending members rest again on the upper surface of members 3, 3. lhen closed, the joint between the two halves will be central with the slot, due to the action between the bevelled surfaces and the edges of the slot members 3, 3, which action has both a horizontal and a vertical component.

As shown in Figure 3, the two slot cover parts 9, 9may be of triangular cross-section, with the long sides bearing on corresponding bevelled edges of the members 3, 3. A bolt 11 working in a T slot 12, formed in the under surface of the slot cover` is threaded in the bevelled surface of member 3 and serves rto keep the joint between the two halves of the'slot cover central with the slot. The length of the T slot 12 is such that its upper closedend will rest against the head of bolt 11 when the slot is closed. Dotted linesillustrate the position of the slot cover halves when the slot has been opened to permit the passage of the plough. LIt will be observed that the halves of the slot cover have moved both upwardly and outwardly when the slot is open. In closing, one half of the slot cover may close before the other, but it will stop in the central position when the. upper end of the T slot 12 contacts with the head of bolt 11.

The triangular shaped slot cover may be madeof sheet metal, as shown in Figure 4. In this form. it may be drawn, or it may be bent from a iiat sheet and the joint welded at any suitable line, as at 18. A slot 14 is formed in the under surface to act withv bolt 11 as described above. This construction is advantageous where it is desired to have a light slot cover.

A plough 15 is shown in Figure 5 at some point along the slot and the halves 9, 9 of the slot cover are opened to permit of its passage. It is to be noted that the slot cover on either side of the plough 15 is partly open This distance depends on the weight and stiffness of the slot cover parts. By suitable design, the opening may be completely closed within the length of the car.

Bolts 11 are spaced at intervals along the slot cover Figure sufliciently close to properly support and guide the slot cover, which is in continuous lengths. 'The cover (in any of the embodiments) be transported to its place of use in sections and be fastened together by any suitable means, such as welding.

Other modifications are possible within the scope of my invention, which broadly covers a slot cover in two halves parting at the center of the slot and adapted to move upward and away from each other by the passage of the plough and to close by gravity after the passage of the plough.

I claim 1. A slot cover normally closing the slot by the action or" gravity comprising a longitudinally extending member having at least a portion of its under surface bevelled to permit of upward and outward movement on an edge of the slot.

2. A slot cover comprising a pair of longitudinally extending members disposed side by side and normally closing the slot, each having at least a portion of its Linder surface bevelled to permit of upward and outward movement on an edge of the slot.

3. A .slot cover comprising a pair of cover elements normally extending side by side longitudinally within the slot to substantially close it, but separable laterally by passage of the car plough between them, each having an inclined under surface slidable upon the slot wall to return it to normal closed position when released by the plough.

4. In a street railway in combination, a plough, means constituting a slot, and a slot cover comprising a pair of longitudinally extending members normally closing the slot and adapted to be moved upward and outward to open said slot by the passage of said plough and to be automatically closed by gravity after the passage of said plough.

5. In a street railway in combination, a

plough, two members forming between them' a slot approximating in width the width of the plough, and a slot cover comprising a pair of longitudinallyr extending halves normally closing said slot, said slot cover halves being slidable upwardly and outwardly on the edges of said slot by the passage of said plough.

6. In a. street railway in combination, two members forming between them a slot having bevelled edges, a slot cover comprising two members of triangular cross-section each normally contacting with the other on one side and with the said bevelled edges of the slot `on the hypotenuse.

7. In a street railway in combination, two members forming between them a slot having bevelled edges, a slot cover comprising two members of triangular cross-section, normally contacting with each other on one side and with the said bevelled edges of the slot on a. second side. said members being movable upwardly and outwardly from the center of the slot, and means for confining the movement of each member to its respective side of the center.

8. In a street railway in combination, two

members forming between them a slot having bevelled edges, a slot cover comprising two members of triangular cross-section normally contacting with each other on one side and with the said bevelled edges of the slot on a second side, and means for holding each of the members of said slot cover at all times on one side of the center line of said slot, said means consisting of lugs spaced along the bevelled surface of said slot, and grooves formed in the under surfaces of said slot cover to receive said lugs.

9. In a street railway system, the combination of a plough slot located in the surface of the road bed, a plough adapted to pass through said slot7 and a continuous slot cover normally resting by gravity in a position to effectively close said slot against entrance of foreign matter, said slot cover being adapted to be flexed by the plough upwardly and laterally against gravity and the elasticity of the slot cover during the passage of the plough along the slot;

10. In a street raiway system, the combination of a. plough slot located in the surface of the road bed, a plough adapted to pass through'said slot, and a slot cover deflectible by the plough, said slot cover nor mally resting freely by gravity on and entirely supported by the edges of the slot walls.

11. In a street railway system in combination, two members forming between them a slot, a slot cover comprising two members having at least a portion of their under surfaces bevelled7 and each normally contacting with the other and the slot walls to close the slot, said slot cover members being movable upwardly and outwardly from the center of the slot, and means for confining the Inove ment of each memberto its respectiveside of the center of the slot.

l2. In a street railway system in combination, a conduit having a slot extending longitudinally in the wall thereof, a continuous metallic slot cover normally closing said slot by the action of gravity, but adapted to be flexed locally and temporarily. to open the slot, and a member extending through said slot into said conduit and adapted for lengthwise movement along said conduit,

said member causing flexing of said slot cover on its passage along the condult to open the slot.

SLAUGI-ITER W. HFF. 

